It started 18-1 and it finished 114-73, an endless afternoon of basketball malpractice by the Knicks, an egregious performance in which nobody was spared, least of all the 19,812 people inside Madison Square Garden forced to witness the bloody carnage the Celtics inflicted across 48 joyless minutes.

“I didn’t see this coming,” Mike Woodson said, and one more time the coach of the Knicks discovers there is no more dangerous a proposition with his team than taking a deep breath, believing the worst is past, and embracing prosperity.

He says that’s on him: “I can’t have guys step on the floor like that.”

It’s a perfectly pointless game of accountability pingpong that doesn’t do a thing to address the fundamental problems of this team, which spent three days delighting in the “new” system it believed it’d mastered on the fly, one of defense and pace and hit-the-open man, one the Knicks insisted to a man they’d embraced.

That dissolved like antacid tablets somewhere between Friday night and Sunday morning. And while some wanted to blame the Celtics’ torrid shooting and others chose to point to their own frigid offensive game and still others were a little too willing to blame a lack of passion and effort, the truth was plainer than that:

On the Knicks’ very first possession — the crowd still anxious, still willing to give the benefit of the doubt based on a couple of thrashings of the Nets and Magic, the first honest-to-god “winning streak” of the season — the Knicks walked the ball upcourt (old behavior), handed the ball to Carmelo Anthony (very old behavior) and stood around until Melo launched — and missed — a 20-footer. Infuriating behavior.

And damned if you didn’t hear a murmur at that precise moment.

That murmur? That was the Knicks regressing — sprinting, really — back to the mean.

“I don’t understand it,” Anthony said, after turning in what could well have been the worst performance of his Knicks tenure if not by his modest numbers (19 points, five rebounds) than by the fact his plus-minus was a staggering minus-40, the worst of his career.

Actually, it isn’t that hard to understand and, in truth, there was an easy decoder conveniently located inside the Garden. The Celtics are supposed to be in transition, supposed to be marking time until their influx of draft picks yields a mother lode of talent, but the team they presently have is now 10-12, first place in the Atlantic, and more to the point they clearly buy what their coach, Brad Stevens, is selling.

Coach Mike Woodson can’t bear to watch as time winds down late in the Knicks’ 41-point loss to Boston on Sunday.Photo: Paul J. Bereswill

It may not last across 82 games in a league where talent generally carries the day, but for now it’s a wonderful contrast to whatever it is the Knicks are doing day-to-day.

“We’ve been together from the start, learning about each other, players and coaching staff,” said Jordan Crawford, who obliterated the Knicks for 23 points, and a player talking about a coach in that context, after a 41-pont win … that carries a little weight and a lot of credibility.

The Knicks?

“I know Coach,” Anthony said. “I know what kind of guy he is. We’re not giving ourselves a chance when we step on the court.”

Smith: “If we aren’t ready to play, that’s us, not him.”

It’s touching, hearing them talk about their beloved coach this way, like he’s a combination of Clair Bee and Mr. Chips, as if they’d lay down in front of the car if he were ever sent away. Which is something Woodson had to think he’d pushed aside for at least a few weeks after the way the weekend started.

The way it ended? Anything is in play, has to be in play, whether that’s a reignited hot seat for the coach or a Rosetta Stone course to try to get the players to speak the same basketball language as he does. You’d like to think maybe this is rock bottom.

Or maybe this was: the encroaching, growing apathy. Mostly the Knicks were greeted by large swaths of silence Sunday, the boos audible but not vicious, 19,812 people sending a message to 12 players and one coach:

What's Your Take?

Woodson is being exposed ... last year we had coach Kidd, coach Wallace and coach Thomas and this kinda debacle was avoided because coach/player kidd, made adjustments.. Woodsoon did nothing..NOTHING SMART. The end was eminent after the first 3 possessions.. a blow-out at home of 40 points is100% THE COACHES FAULT

This game was all about coaching - you watch the possessions. Carmelo isolating while the other 4 guys stand statue still. You watch the good teams in the league and there is a ton of motion away from the ball with off-ball picks, double-screens, and cuts

At this point, it shld be painfully obvious that both Woodson, Melo, and JR have to go. Get some draft picks for Melo and JR-since we don't have any. If the Knick fans are so dumb as to continue to pay 150-200 or more to see that garbage, then they deserve what they get. I wld not and am not going to pay a penny to see the knicks until they re construct the team and have a REAL team. Just saying

Woodson just sucks. The first few possessions, after it was just isolation after isolation, Woodson just continued to look on and didn't even look peeved. Popovich would have lost his top and called a time out immediately after only ONE of those possessions. Their philosophy is, AS SOON AS you get the ball, you either, pass, shoot, or drive (not dribble).

The Knicks philosophy, as it always has been the last 5 years: Give the ball to Carmelo, Jamal Crawford, or whoever, and let them work one on one for 22 of the 24 second shot clock.

My thing is. Why does Woodson STAY SO LONG WITH PLAYERS THAT ARE NOT EFFECTIVE THROUGH OUT THE COURSE OF A GAME? Why start Hardaway (With martin out)? When It is proven that Prigioni, Felton, and Shump has been effective starting. Why Bring back your Pathetic Starters. In the 2nd Quarter, When the Bench chopped the lead Down to 17???? Seriously. Players are gonna come out Flat. Like the Article stated. I could Feel the way the game was going from the 1st 2 or 3 posessions. Stephens OUT SMARTED WOODSON. No Melo Doubles??? Back to Melo Ball. LOL. So Obvious. SO SO Obvious. SMH. Say its not the coach ALL YOU want. LMAO The Knicks were thriving off of Ball movement off of Melo Doubles. So Stephens counters with. Playing everyone straight up.. And What did Woodson Do?? Instead of running the offense through Felton, driving, and kicking.. HE gave it to Melo, or J.R., Or Shump (Of ALL PEOPLE) and let them Get BUSY... LOL.. Clown of a Coach. Clown starting PG. The bench should have come in after the 1st 3 minutes. Down 10. Thats what a COACH DOES. He notices the starters are FLAT and PULLS THEM. He has no feel for this team at all, and HE MUST GO.

Speaking of Pathetic - The whole league - especially the Eastern Conference is a joke. 25% of the season is done and only 3 of 15 teams in the East Conf are over .500 and 1 team leads a Division with a sub-.500 record. It's a superstar/superteam league. Any fool that wastes their time and money going to games must enjoy watching mediocrity.

How may I put this delicately? Um, well - no, let's just make it plain: They suck. They really, really suck. If they were men with a shred of dignity, they would donate most of their unjustified salaries to charity. They are stealing fan's money. And so is the idiot dwarf owner. Everybody, let this be a wake-up call. Boycott the Knicks. Stop going to the games. As long as there are fannies in the seats, the idiot Dolan will continue to wreck this franchise. How much more lousy basketball must we endure? Enough!

I am nothing but disgusted. I am a Knicks fan for over 35 years, and I can hardly remember them ever playing this shameful. I f it was possible, someone should not only fire the coach and get rid of all these so called players, who earn big money for nothing, they should also get rid of Dolan (I know it's not possible), woh turned these Knicks into the worst I've ever seen.

I would hope for a rebuild, but Denver can celebrate all year long for owning the Knicks pick this year.

The idiots at the Garden who have put together this Knicks team are responsible for this disaster. The absolute first priority in acquiring or drafting players is that they MUST BE EXCELLENT SHOOTERS. That is the bare minimum starting requirement for putting together a team, something that has completely eluded Knicks management. Look at any of the decent or even marginally decent teams in the league -- all of their players can shoot the ball. With the Knicks, except for Carmelo Anthony, whose legs were shot even before the Knicks acquired him, virtually NONE of the players can shoot the basketball. I'd much rather see an entire roster of talented rookies on the floor than this patched together garbage that Knicks management has thrown together. It would be FAR more competitive.

Don't know why Melo was so upset about this 40 point debacle that Team Dolan inflicted on itself... Melo got the # of shots he wanted and as usual he didn't expend any effort on D........ It sure seems like a normal game to me by Melo Yellow.

Well, it didn't take Melo long to revert to his old ways. For two games, he was a team player, but I guess two was his limit. He looked like he didn't even want to be out there.Missing Kmart hurt, but coach started Hardaway inexplicably. Pablo needs to start & finish games. He is their most intelligent player.

I have a beef, though, with the 12 o'clock start time. Why????? These guys are used to playing at 7-8 P.M. Their internal clocks must have been affected by this radical change in start times. However, it didn't seem to affect Boston......they came to play, and the Knicks, with the exception of Stat, seemed like they came to take a rest. If players didn't get payed for losses, I think we would see a different attitude. These guys are just too complacent with their millions. And the coach seems to be grasping at straws.

I've been a Knicks fan since the early 90s, but I find myself rooting against them now in an effort to "even" the score against them. I, like many other Knicks fans, have suffered at watching this team play such lousy basketball and my anger has turned my passion for them into disdain. Of course, JD won't care, he's got his real passion....... Music!! To hell with him and his daddy's team!! I can't watch anymore!!

Woodson's comment "I didn't see this coming" is scary. He is UNprepared and his teams are UNprepared on a regular basis. Most Knick fans knew they'd have a hard time with Boston, the way Boston has been playing, shutting down teams with D. Maybe Woodson never heard of Brad Stevens or thought his team should just play the way it always plays to win against anyone?

Woodson should have seen this coming. Maybe he'll prepare the team a little bit for the game IN Boston this week?

Boston's brilliant young Brad Stevens had his team well prepared; made the Knicks look like they didn't know how to score. Knicks looked like they had never heard of Brad Stevens or seen a video of how Boston plays.

Woodson has proven to be a good coach, but not a great coach -- he is an old fashioned coach who preaches hustle and accountability. That is no match for a team that takes you out of your plays.

Not sure what any of the Knick assistant coaches do; looks like Knicks have no one who looks at videos of upcoming teams, let alone devises ways to take them out of their comfort zones.

These so called "Pros" can't even shoot a basketball. I mean if you played, practiced and did this all the time, wouldn't you be better? I know I would. How is it these guys can't even shoot 50%? Terrible! This team needs to start over from scratch. Build a team like the Red Sox in baseball did. Get people that are hungry to play and win. No so called superstars that only care about their stats.

@YouDaMan I totally agree with Rich. Shooting is nice, but no team in my recent memory has won a championship by simply outscoring its opponents every time. As it has ALWAYS been, and ALWAYS will be ... DEFENSE wins championships. And the Knicks play NONE. Looking back on the days of 70's TEAM defense ... Clyde's lockdown guard play ... Reed and Debusschere ruling the paint ... and the 90's days of Ewing and Oakley and Mason and Harper and McDaniel holding teams to 12-point 4th quarters ... today's pitiful effort and pretty-boy apathy makes me ashamed to be a Knicks fan. EVERYONE on this team -- players, coaches, staff, management -- EVERY SINGLE ONE of them -- should be ashamed of themselves. This Knicks team is pathetic.

Melo's legs were shot? What does that even mean? He's one of the strongest players n the league. He's just playing to many minutes. Secondly the first priority isn't that every player is an excellent shooter. Lebron James wasn't an excellent shooter his first couple of years.

@YouDaMan: You forgot something ............................ a little thing called d-e-f-e-n-s-e. It's been known to actually win championships from time to time. "Excellent shooting" is nice, sure, but it doesn't win rings on its own.

@Robert Ta I agree with you COMPLETELY. The 12 O'clock start, The NASTY ORANGE UNIFORMS, and the Starting Line UP. What was that??? I'm saying. O.K. NO K-Mart.. That Fine. Pablo start and you bring out the Line-up that was the MOST EFFECTIVE Last Season.. Right???? Woodson was out Smarted. BADLY. They just DIDN'T Double Melo. Plain and simple. Let Melo get 40+ and take 20+ shots was the Plan for boston. Only thing was Melo was OFF, So instead of Losing by 15. The Knicks got Rolled. Pable has to start with Felton. He just has to if KMart (Our leading ASSIST MAN??) Is out.. LOL.. This team is a Joke, and it shouldn't be. The Coach is just as Mindless as the PG play. He doesn't Know what he is seeing out there.

@keeros318 I was unhappy when they decided not to resign David Lee and the finally done with them after the Denver disaster. Everything since has been icing on the cake. This "team" is utterly lame. And the idiot owner is to blame?

@Bob Lyle Exactly.. This was straight up Coaching. Severly out COACHED. I bet you Stevens was saying to himself "O.K. Im waiting for the counter, To us NOT DOUBLING Melo". "Im waiting for the pick and Roll Run and the lead to get chopped". NO. Stevens punched EARLY.. I MEAN SUPER EARLY. A Blatant Right Cross to the Chops. I mean the score was 15 to 1 at 1 point. SMH LOL LOL.. And Woodson. Strolls out the SAME Bunch (Minus Hardaway) with the same Game plan.. Not ONE CHANGE IN PHILOSOPHY.

@Leo Derosia: When you make millions and aren't held accountable for job performance, what makes you think these clowns are even CAPABLE of being embarrassed? Methinks you're giving them a tad too much credit.

@Jackie C. Stevens Made him do it, and Nobody on the Knicks realized it. You put a player with Melo's Talent/Ego with a One on One Matchup against a PowerForward?? He's gonna want to go Ham. Stevens mind Effed the Knicks. and Nobody on the Knicks staff. Players, or Coaches Realized it.

@John Caddidy@Bob Lyle Yeah it is. You Don't LOSE BY 40 Unless its the coach.. 10 points?? The players shots may be off.. 20 Points? lack of effort, the other team is just more talented and was rolling.. 40 Points??? The team wasn't prepared, The game plan was flawed, No adjustments were made, The TEAM QUIT. The COACH didn't put players in that CARED, The TEAM DIDN'T CARE. THAT'S ALL COACHING. PERIOD.